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EPC debate: Strategic options for Europe’s future

The Library was able to attend the launch of the report from the New Pact for Europe initiative at the European Policy Centre. EPC’s Emmanouilidis presented the document “Strategic options for Europe’s future” and outlined five options for European integration: going back to the basics, consolidating past achievements, moving ahead ambitiously, leaping forward to economic and political union or, finally, changing the more/less Europe logic altogether.

In his speech before a packed room, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy commended the joint initiative, adding a comparison with European Council negotiations:

Getting so many think-tanks and foundations to work together is certainly a challenging endeavour. Getting them to agree on a joint report probably even more so. You must have had a taste of what negotiating a text in the Council feels like! (Even if we are usually not allowed to come with 5 options… A system that would make life much easier!).

On the subject of negotiating and bargaining in the Council and European Council, this is a selection of works on what could well be called ‘European deliberative intergovernmentalism’.

One response to “EPC debate: Strategic options for Europe’s future”

I think it is important, that the citizens are part of the debate about the EU future. But disappointed I had to see, that this is not really wanted by the “New Pact for Europe”. I suppose such an Elite-Debate won’t help to develope the EU.
What we need is a real debate about the needs and wishes the EU-Citizens have, to develop concrete goals and then solutions.